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Scenery of Yixing: Autumn view of Tongguan
Description and Identification The Scenery of Yixing was painted in China in 1356 during the Yuan Dynasty. It is one very large scroll that measures a total of 66 cm x 174.5 cm (26 x 68 5/16 in.) The scroll was painted and edited by two artists, Zhou Zhi who died in 1367 in China, and Shen Zhou (1427-1509). Within the entire scroll, there is a modified portion done by Shen Zhou called "The Autumn view of Tongguan" which is what this article is most concerned with. The Scenery of Yixing was painted in China, and The Autumn view of Tongguan was added to the Scenery of Yixing in the late-1400's (unclear the exact date) as a gift from Shen Zhou to Huang Yuanling who gave Shen Zhou the original scroll as a gift. [1 ] The painting was sold in New York on October 11, 1965, for $6,000. The addition to the scroll by Shen Zhou is known as a landscape painting which was a prevalent form of art in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties where Shen Zhou was known for most of his artwork. 'Technical Evaluation' The entire scroll of the Scenery of Yixing is an impressive painting in size and elaboration. It measures a total of 26 in X 68 5/16 in, which is over two feet wide and 5 feet long. Contained within the scroll and amongst the larger painting, Autumn View of Tongguan can be observed. It measures 13 in X 46 5/8 in and is incorporated into the right side of the scroll. Shen Zhou chooses in this painting to add to an existing painting from one of his idols in painting. Zhou Zhi was the original painter of the scenery, his "scroll is of a specific rather than general importance... Zhou Zhi's scroll seems important to She Zhou's scroll as an illustration of the weight of tradition." [The Field of Stones. Pg. 36 ]Shen Zhou choose to add to Zhi's scroll because he respected the work of Zhi and felt like he could add a degree of generalization that would round of the already impressive work. The medium used to make the painting is commonly referred to as "Ink on Paper " which was the same way painters had been painting in China for centuries. "Chinese painting uses water-based inks and pigments on either paper or silk grounds" [2] this is the exact way the Autumn view of Tongguan was painted. This form of painting was by no means revolutionary or out of the ordinary, but it was the best for creating most landscape paintings. Though the medium of painting was nothing revolutionary, the individual style that Shen Zhou adopted was expressed only by him. His works are "all mature, creative explorations and expansions of old styles, and apart from their individual excellence, they had the salutary effect historically of demonstrating that those styles were viable, not merely repeatable." [Parting at the Shore. Pg. 86] Zhou was highly praised and known for his take on an ancient form of painting. He used his paintings, including the Autumn view of Tongguan to express how he viewed the scenery and what he felt it was conveying to him. That is why he includes poems and words on his paintings so that someone viewing the work can understand what he is trying to say. 'Local Historical Context' The scroll was created during the Ming and Yuan dynasties in China in the year 1356. The edit by Shen Zhou was not added until the late 1400's after he had completed school and started a family. The Ming Dynasty of China lasted for 276 years from 1368-1644 in the time "which literature, painting, poetry, music, and Chinese Opera of various types were flourishing." (Parting at the Shore, Pg. 3) These flourishings were based on the advancements in various art forms of the Yuan Dynasty before the Ming Dynasty. Shen Zhou was born right into the middle of this era or great artistic flourishing and also into a wealthy family were both "his uncle and his father were well-known painters." (Parting at the Shore, Pg. 83) When the scroll was first painted the Mongol led Yuan dynasty was in control and a moderate number of economic and artistic strides were being made. The Yuan dynasty took its shape mostly under Kublai Khan, and some institutional changes were made, but the bureaucratic form of the government stayed the same. The main artistic focus was on poetry, theater, and pottery. Out of the eventual fall of the Yuan dynasty, the Ming dynasty was formed and in the late-1400,s when Shen Zhou edited the scroll, the Hongzhi emperor was the one more or less in power. This assumption can be made for two reasons: 1: "The earliest of Shen Zhou's surviving works, a hanging scroll is dated 1464" (Parting at the Shore. Pg. 83) and 2: "following the ascension of the Yongle Emperor, the capital was moved from Nanjing to Bejing... these new conditions lead to the Wu School of painting in which Zhou was a student." (The Field of Stones. Pg. 33) So it is safe to assume that the painting was done after 1464 because it was not Zhou's first work and after the ascension of the Yongle Emperor. More than likely this painting was created under Hongzhi Emperor (1487-1505) in Zhou's later years when he had pretty much retired from painting except for this one piece as a gift. 'World Historical Significance' Landscape painting was an art form practiced all over the world at different times in history. The Chinese, however, are known for their ability to capture a landscape with ink and paper better than anyone else. Among them, Shen Zhou stands out as one of the leading artists within the Chinese landscape painting community. Shen Zhou "developed his individualistic style in the late 1470's that identify immediately with his "typical works"... long handscroll paintings... and patronage were all part of Shen Zhou's style." (Parting at the Shore. Pg. 87) This painting, in particular, marks one of his more incredible expressions of his individual style because no one else edited another artists work out of respect for their name before. Also, Zhou adds to the scroll not only an illustration, but a list of patronage that's meaning is widely discussed even today among scholars of Chinese painting. Zhou was proficient in some "learned arts of poetry, painting, and calligraphy," most of which are present and culminate into the extraordinary work. [3 ] The Autumn view of Tangguan much like its artist, is not know for being just another landscape painting, but rather "an active concern for with preserving the aesthetic discoveries of bygone ages as well as a similar concern with nature in its many manifestations (especially landscape)." [4] Shen Zhou is one of the leading artists in changing what the world views as a Chinese landscape painting and The Autumn view of Tangguan in no exception to the unique, individualistic style experienced within Chines and world culture. 'Bibliography' *Cahill, James. Parting at the Shore: Chinese Painting of the Early and Middle Ming Dynasty, 1368-1580. Weatherhill, 1978. *Edwards, Richard. The Field of Stones; a Preliminary Study of the Art of Shen Chou (1427-1509) ..''1953. *“Scenery of Yixing.” ''Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 29 Aug. 2017, www.mfa.org/collections/object/scenery-of-yixing-30843. *“Shen Zhou | Chinese Painting.” China Online Museum, www.comuseum.com/painting/masters/shen-zhou/. *“Chinese Landscape Painting.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/song-dynasty/a/chinese-landscape-painting.